Days of Thunder
by Satanira
Summary: The natural order of the world was disrupted when the youkai started going insane.  Events in a Texas city may restore that order, or start humans and youkai down the path of mutual destruction. see inside for warnings
1. Days of Thunder

**Days of Thunder**

The natural order of the world was disrupted when the youkai started going insane. Events in a Texas city may restore that order, or start humans and youkai down the path of mutual destruction.

* * *

This fic is rated **M** for language, violence, bigotry, adult situations, and adult humor. Additional warnings include: OCs, canon/OC pairings, homosexuality, interspecies romantic relationships. Ratings are subject to change as the story progresses.

* * *

There were only two reasons Beki might possibly get detention- reading in class, and wearing pants. 

Oddly enough, it was her AP English teacher who wrote her up for reading in class the most; that didn't make much sense to Beki, but she hid her books in her lap and was very sneaky about reading them, anyway. As for the pants issue, only the headmistress really minded, so Beki tried to stay out of her way. There was no force on God's green Earth that could coerce Beki into one of the school's god-awful pleated skirts; she'd rather get detention for wearing pants than be caught dead in one of those slate-gray abominations.

This time around, it was the pants. How that thousand-year-old, half blind, half senile monument to outdated values and cellulite had managed to catch her this time, she wasn't sure, but she'd been caught all the same. Which meant the free period she usually spent reading in the library would be spent reading in detention. The desk chair wasn't nearly as comfortable as the padded benches available in the library, but she could deal with it.

She did have to sigh as she sat down in the far corner of the room, however; she'd been waiting for a book to come back, and it was due today. She could only hope the librarians remembered that she'd been asking after the book and hold it for her, because none of the public libraries seemed to carry it.

The last of the so-called delinquents that shared this detention with Beki filed in just ahead of the bell. She knew a lot of them by name, since she spent so much time in detention, but she confined her greeting to a general wave as she pulled out her book for the day. It was a thin hardcover with no dust jacket, and spattered with Kool-aid. She liked the effect, since the book itself was called Corpse, and was about the various ways one could determine time since death.

* * *

Goku got detention pretty much once a week at least. Sometimes it was for skipping class, sometimes for getting into fights, but it was usually for eating. Food wasn't allowed in the classrooms unless it was put away, meaning he wasn't allowed to eat in class. That never stopped him, though; Goku needed to eat constantly, or he wouldn't be able to concentrate. 

There were a lot of kids in detention today- more than usual. Goku's favorite seat, all the way in the back, was taken when he got there. The seat thief was a girl with glasses and a ponytail, and she was wearing pants instead of a skirt. Goku thought about trying to get her to move, but instead took the seat next to her.

Since he had nothing better to do – he'd already finished his homework in class – he wound up watching the girl read. Someone had spilled something on her book; if she was anything like Hakkai when it came to books, she'd probably been mad about that.

Whatever the book was, it had to be pretty interesting. She didn't even notice Goku was watching her. He began to wonder what the book was about. He would've asked, but there was no talking in detention.

* * *

Beki was starting to get annoyed. She enjoyed reading a great deal, but she wouldn't qualify it as a spectator sport. That being said, she did _not_ enjoy being stared at. 

The boy next to her was doing just that, staring like he'd never seen a book before, and though Beki was not by nature a very violent person, she was seriously debating throwing something at him.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, trying to see if he was someone she knew, and quickly decided against throwing things. She didn't know Son Goku personally, but she _did_ know that he was strong enough to kick her ass and not even break a sweat if he wanted. Despite being somewhat on the short side, Goku was on the basketball team, and everyone knew that he had to be very careful to avoid hurting other people when he played, which was why he'd never joined any of the contact sport teams.

His strength didn't keep her from being annoyed, though, so she decided to end the situation. She turned to look him full in the face, and noted a bit smugly that she'd surprised him with that move.

After a moment, Goku checked to make sure the teacher wasn't looking and pointed at her book. It was her turn to blink; Goku wasn't exactly known to be intellectual. There was even a ridiculous rumor that he could barely read. His interest in literature softened her considerably towards his staring problem, and she obediently handed the book over once she'd replaced her bookmark.

She had the satisfaction of watching Goku's expression change as he read; that was always a gratifying experience, to see someone's eyes light up like that over one of her books. It was _her_ turn to stare at _him_ now, since he was sucked in just about as fast as she'd been the first time she'd picked up Corpse, and she didn't get her book back until the bell rang.

* * *

There was no doubt in Goku's mind that he and Beki were going to be friends. She knew who he was, but didn't act scared of him at all, which was a nice change. Plus, she had that cool book, and she was willing to explain things in it he didn't really understand. 

They both had lunch after detention, so they went to the cafeteria together, meaning Beki was there when Goku discovered his lunch was not in his locker. As far as Goku was concerned, his lunch going missing was the worst possible thing that could ever happen, except maybe dying.

"Could you have left it in one of your classes?" Beki asked, once Goku had finished freaking out.

"No, I always put it in my locker first thing, so I don't wind up eating it in class. But today-" He broke off with a gasp. "I was supposed to make my own lunch today! Hakkai had to stay out all night! I completely and totally forgot! This sucks; now I have no lunch. _And_ I just lent Gojyo all my money, so I can't even buy any food." He was beginning to regret eating all his snacks in class.

"Come on; it's not that bad." Beki said soothingly. "I'll share my lunch with you, okay? I always make too much, anyway, and I couldn't stand to let you starve. How's that?"

If anyone else had been looking directly at Goku, his sudden bright smile would have blinded them for at least ten minutes.

* * *

Beki almost always got home before Nikki. 

She'd moved in with her cousin after being accepted into one of the country's most prestigious private high schools; Nikki was the only family she had in Texas at all, and her mother would most certainly not let her live on her own. Beki didn't mind, since she and Nikki had a lot in common, and they were pretty close in age.

Since she had no leftovers from lunch today – Goku could eat a lot, apparently – she headed directly to the kitchen to make herself a snack. After that, she'd sit right down and do her homework, then maybe clean a bit, then read or surf the 'net until it was time to start dinner. One of the best parts about living with Nikki was that Beki did most of the cooking, and Nikki was willing to do the dishes half the time.

She dropped her bookbag on the dining room table as she passed it and began unbuttoning her shirt. The semi-formal feel of the school uniforms made her feel stifled- no bright colors, no abstract patterns, no three layers of shirt and wild belts. If one couldn't dress themselves flashy, what was the point in caring how one looked?

"Nikki, you home?" She called, because Nikki did occasionally beat her home. There was no reply, and Beki shrugged.

In the kitchen, she found a note magneted to the fridge; it said simply _Staying late; eat w/out me. KK_

Beki had to smile at the signature; it still killed her that she and Nikki signed notes, memos, and e-mails to each other with their pennames instead of their real names.

"Well, if Nikki won't be here tonight, I feel like some Leftover Soup. Do we have any of that Chinese left?"

* * *

Meanwhile, some distance away in the city proper, Nikki was remembering every horror story she'd ever heard about the streets of Arlington, Texas. Staying late for extra credit was a wonderful idea; walking around alone at dusk was not. The ten-minute walk from the university to the bus stop she wanted was usually nothing, since she usually made it in the afternoon, when it was still light out even in winter. It somehow hadn't occurred to her that it might be different at night. 

And Arlington had a big problem with youkai, too; it was too hard to track them all down and throw them out on their asses, and not all of them deserved to be thrown out. No one really trusted them, though, since most of the species had up and gone berserk for no apparent reason a few years ago. Nikki's mind was taken up by a steady stream of gruesome images, like some kind of morbid inner slasher flick starring her as the dead body.

Something made some kind of noise off to her right, and she instinctively froze.

_It was probably just a cat._ She told herself. _A stray cat, or some wino out cold in an alley. No need to freak over every little noise. It was probably just-_

She needn't have bothered with the inner reassurances; the figure that emerged from the shadows was most definitely not a cat, as it was human in appearance if you ignored the fangs, claws, pointy ears, and green hair. Oh, this was just lovely.

"Can I help you?" She asked flatly, hoping this wasn't one of the crazy ones. Barring that slim chance, she could only hope he wasn't hungry and would let her go without harming her. Youkai were crazy strong, and they had those natural predator advantages like speed and excellent night vision.

"I bet you could, actually." He said, his voice and the fact that his eyes had about glued themselves to her chest testifying exactly what he had in mind.

"I bet I don't want to." Nikki countered. "I'm already late, and my roommate's probably worried sick; doesn't like it when I fall behind." No need to mention that her roommate was a skinny little high school blonde who was about as deadly as a hamster. "Don't make trouble."

"I'm not looking for trouble." The youkai assured her, moving a few steps closer; she stood her ground. "I'm just looking for a little company. Maybe some dinner, too."

"Look elsewhere." Nikki said firmly, starting off again. If he followed her, she was giving him a swift kick in the family jewels and running. Let him get hold of her, and she was as good as eaten.

"I don't think so." He said, making a grab for her arm. He barely caught her, but got enough of a grip that one of them was going to get hurt.

"I do."

The voice was not one Nikki recognized, so she didn't know if hearing it was a good thing or not. Someone else melted into the dry yellow light of the street lamps. It was another youkai, a bronze-skinned one with maroon hair and three thick marks running across his left cheek. He also wore a lot of jewelry, including a pair of thin triangle earrings that dangled nearly to his shoulders and a gold choker.

"Let her go."

Nikki also couldn't help but note that under his worn denim jacket, the guy's chest was quite, quite bare. It was a good look for him.

"And if I don't?" Nikki's captor asked, as if it were a real question and not just a snappy comeback.

"I leave your corpse for them to find in the morning, and the world forgets you." The maroon-haired youkai said. This, too, didn't sound like the usual street-talk bluffing; the casual indifference made Nikki believe this guy was more than capable of killing them both.

Apparently, the first youkai heard that, too, because he let her go and left without so much as a hasty good-bye, leaving Nikki alone with a potentially even more dangerous – and definitely hotter – youkai. There was no denying the boy was a looker; if she had to be rescued, she was glad he'd done the rescuing.

He turned to leave, the lone mysterious superhero vanishing into the night now that his work was done.

"Hey, Captain America; you got a name?" She asked, wincing at the faint note of sarcasm that snuck into her voice. She had not meant to use that tone.

He turned partway around, giving her another view of his nice, dark chest. The world needed more chests like that. He gave the question considerably more thought than was strictly necessary before turning back and starting off again. She did get her answer, though, drifting back to her on the faint city breeze.

"Kougaiji,"

* * *

Goku did not have a family. He wasn't even completely sure if he could consider the people he lived with friends, really. They all got along pretty well, except when Gojyo was prodding Sanzo or Hakkai started nagging everybody about something, but they weren't really buddies. 

He could hear music before he was halfway up the stairs, meaning Gojyo was off work. No one ever complained about the noise except Sanzo and sometimes Hakkai, so Gojyo always had it up as loud as he could stand it. Goku was used to the noise now; he could ignore it when he needed to. Of course, one of the reasons Gojyo might have the music up so loud was because he had a woman over. That was something Goku didn't like and couldn't ignore. Women were always pawing at him, saying he was such a cutie and that he had really pretty eyes and did he want to play with them for a while. He just couldn't see why Gojyo liked them so much.

When Goku poked his head into the apartment, though, Gojyo was sitting on the couch alone, flipping through a magazine. The redhead glanced up to see who was coming in, then went right back to his magazine. Goku didn't bother with any hellos; he went straight to the kitchen, grabbed whatever food was handy, and headed for the room he shared with Sanzo to do his homework. He had an essay to do for English, and he sucked at those.

He barely got himself settled before the music volume got halved, meaning Hakkai was back; Sanzo would have just turned it off. He could either go out and ask Hakkai for help, or wait until Hakkai popped in to check up on him. He needed help with that damn essay, but he'd only just gotten comfortable…

There was a brief knock at the door, then it opened and Hakkai stuck his head in.

"How was your day?" Hakkai asked, smiling. Hakkai was always smiling for one reason or another. He even had an angry smile that could really chill your blood if he used it on you.

"Could've been better, could've been worse." Goku said with a shrug. "I got another essay for English."

"And you'd like some help?" Hakkai guessed, his smile become amused instead of just polite. "Let me get dinner started, and we'll see what we can do, okay?"

* * *

Nikki convinced the bus driver to drop her off right in front of her house, something she didn't do often. The living room windows glowed invitingly, meaning Beki was still up, which was good; Nikki had to tell someone about her close encounter, and Beki was great fun to tell things to. 

She thanked the bus driver and hurried up the front walk, noting that the grass was in need of mowing again. She hoped she could convince Beki to do that. Maybe if she cleaned the bathroom instead…

She unlocked the door and opened it, to be greeted by a flood of silence. She could clearly hear the clock on the dining room mantle ticking in measured seconds, all but masking the faint sound of humming. The humming was coming from the living room, where she found Beki nestled snugly in one corner of the couch, headphones firmly on her ears, reading. The girl read more books than was probably really healthy.

Nikki quietly dropped her bag and crept towards the couch. When she was close enough, she pounced, vaulting the arm and landing almost on top of her cousin, who gave a satisfying shriek and jumped about a half a foot off the couch. She somehow managed to not lose her page through the whole thing.

"What the hell is _wrong_ with you?" Beki demanded, shaking her head so that her headphones fell back and turned themselves into an odd sort of necklace. "Were you _trying_ to kill me?"

"Just feeling adventurous." Nikki said, referencing the numerous times such a stunt had gotten her smacked in the face with a book. "How was your day?"

"Fine, until you nearly gave me a heart attack." Beki said, marking her page with a black ribbon and snapping her book shut. "What kept you? You usually call when you're out this late."

"I almost got eaten." Nikki said casually, because that was just the right tone to get Beki interested in a heartbeat.

"Do tell!" Beki exclaimed, leaning forward eagerly.

"I got caught by some fuck-crazy youkai, and I mean that literally. He wanted company and dinner, and I politely declined, so he grabbed me. I about died of fright. But we've got a superhero in our humble little city."

"No. What kind of superhero? Details, cousin, details!"

Nikki smiled and described Kougaiji in excessive detail, until it was entirely possible that Beki would be able to recognize him from across a crowded mall. With a power limiter on. She waxed eloquent on his exotic coloring and utterly deadpan attitude, and even went so far as to voice some of the thoughts she'd entertained about that chest of his.

"To be perfectly honest with you," She confessed, "I don't think I would have minded much if _Kougaiji_ decided he wanted some company."

"I can imagine." Beki said dryly, as she always did when the conversation tended in such a direction.

"Just you wait, Rebbekha." Nikki warned, using Beki's full name. "Someday soon, _you'll_ fall in love, and _I'll_ be the one sighing in exasperation over your fantasies."

"Child," Beki said, despite the fact that Nikki was three years her senior, "I'm hardly likely to voice my romantic daydreams to you after a comment like _that_."

Since there were several soft pillows on the couch, anyway, the argument became a play-fight in no time at all.

* * *

**End Chapter One.**

Please review and let me know what you think.

_Days of Thunder_ is a song by Brooks & Dunn, found on their Greatest Hits collection. It's one of their more sentimental songs, but I chose it more for the title than the message. I envision a great deal of conflict on various levels in this story, so it certainly fits.


	2. Eye of the Storm

**Eye of the Storm**

* * *

Wednesday dawned bright and clear, with a predicted high in the upper eighties. Goku was up before anyone else in the apartment, since Sanzo's college classes didn't start until nearly noon, Gojyo was lazy, and Hakkai usually stayed up most of the night working, anyway.

He made sure he had lunch today before he left, since he didn't think Beki would let him eat her food two days in a row, much as he would like to. The food she'd given him was different from Hakkai's, but just as good in its own way. Maybe she'd be willing to share today, if he could find her.

* * *

Goku's first class was Chemistry. He normally wasn't very good with science classes, but he'd discovered the benefits of a dedicated teacher with this one. There weren't many teachers more dedicated than Piper Grey. 

Miss Grey was pretty, and smart. She knew everything about chemistry, and she was very patient with people like Goku who usually couldn't tell one liquid from the next unless they were different colors. Goku liked her because she never talked down to him, even when they both knew he was missing something obvious. Most of all, she made it _fun_ to be in her class.

She still wouldn't let him eat, but it was soon enough after breakfast that he really wasn't that hungry. He could wait until second block.

Of course, second block was English, Goku's absolute worst subject out of all his classes this year, taught by the great ogress Mrs. Corbett herself. Sneaking a bite to eat in her class was more nerve-wracking than playing hopscotch in a mine field, with more dangerous potential results.

He sat through English with only half his mind on the lesson, waiting impatiently for class to end. He really didn't care much at all about some old plays from back before they had electricity, and knowing about them wasn't likely to do him any good in the future, either. So what if it was a stereotype? He'd be a dumb jock. He was going to make a living playing basketball as long as he could, then go work for Hakkai and Gojyo. Hakkai had promised him a job whenever he felt up to it, and he trusted Hakkai to keep that promise.

Long practice allowed Goku to sneak five snacks while Mrs. Corbett wasn't looking without being caught, and he escaped the class without a new detention slip to be signed. He hit the hallway with a sigh of relief. He had PE next, then free period, then lunch. If he could find Beki between free period and lunch, then-

"Goku!" Someone called enthusiastically from behind him. "Goku, wait up!"

Goku began wondering about the phrase 'that stuff only happens in movies' when he turned around to find Beki almost on top of him, smiling brightly.

"Hey, you." She said cheerfully. "Did you remember your lunch today?"

"In my locker," He assured her, returning the smile. "But hey, if you wanna share yours again, I can find some way to hide it." The offer was meant to get a laugh out of her, and it did.

"Goodness griefness, did you like my cooking _that_ much?" She demanded, chuckling and shaking her head so that her ponytail swished from side to side. "Next thing, you'll be asking to marry me for my lasagna. Bring your lunch; we'll share 'em both, okay?"

"Sure!" Goku exclaimed, glad she'd made the offer. "Wanna meet where we ate yesterday?"

"Fine by me," Beki agreed. "I gotta run, though, or I'll be dead long before lunch ever comes around; my next class is all the way in the other building."

* * *

Beki stepped into her World History II class in a better mood than she usually did. Having Algebra I first thing in the morning was bad enough; following it up with history of any kind was sheer torture. She was terrible with numbers, however good she was with words, and she could never remember dates.

But Goku was, quite obviously, the sort of person who cheered other people up just by being around. He had a lot of energy, and anyone who complimented Beki's cooking was okay in her book. If they kept running into each other, Beki would be sure to stuff him silly on all her special dishes- steak, meatloaf, brownies, pasta salad, lasagna, maybe even her only-for-rare-special-occasions-like-a-visit-from-the-Pope spiced duck.

She took her seat and pulled out her textbook with an atypical smile, not that anyone really noticed. Since she always sat way back in the corner and read during class, most people didn't pay any attention to her at all. She was like a classroom ghost, in the middle of everything yet somehow invisible.

Her invisibility was pierced for the second day in a row, however, by a purple-eyed girl with a deep tan and blonde hair.

"Watcha reading?" The girl asked, whispering around her textbook while Mr. Miller held forth on the French Revolution from atop his desk.

"A book," Beki responded automatically, not wanting to be interrupted during the final battle or to draw the teacher's attention. Mr. Miller was retiring this year, which meant he was even crazier than he'd been last year, and might resort to violence if they messed up his class.

"Duh. Which book?"

A persistent one. Beki was doomed if she didn't stop being facetious. "It's called Phantoms, if you must know, and they're in the middle of destroying a monster that's pretending to be Satan; I'd appreciate it if you'd let me finish this chapter, at least." She neglected to mention that she was on the final chapter, which meant finishing the book.

"Okay, okay, ya don't gotta get grumpy." The other blonde pouted, resting her chin on her desk. "Man, try and make a friend, and get yer head bit off…"

"Bitten off." Beki corrected with a sigh, resigning herself to the fact that she'd just have to finish her book some other time. "Get your head bitten off. 'Bit off' is improper grammar. I'm Beki."

"Lirin," Lirin said, smiling winsomely. "Nice ta meetcha."

It didn't occur to either blonde that crouching behind their textbooks and whispering to each other was a suspicious sort of thing to do when the teacher is standing on top of his desk and speaking dramatically about food riots and summary executions; it draws attention.

"Having a nice chat, ladies?" Mr. Miller asked, not even bothering to get off his desk, since he'd just have to climb back up again when he was finished with them.

Beki immediately stopped talking, glancing sheepishly up at a man who was well into his fifties and didn't look a day of thirty. She liked and respected Mr. Miller, but she also feared him. Ever since she'd hauled off and said 'damn' back in November, she was half convinced that Mr. Miller would either feed her to the dogs or make her recite the textbook backwards, including the index, glossary, and table of contents.

Lirin, apparently, had no such fear, for she just smiled sweetly. "Yup!" She said. "Me'n Beki were just talking about how the same situation would play out in America's economy today, and we got a bit wrapped up."

Since they'd been talking about how ridiculous the court dresses in the textbook pictures looked, Beki was hard-put to keep from choking on such a blatant lie.

"Well, save it for your free period, or after school." Mr. Miller said. "This is History, not Politics, and I'd appreciate it if you'd remember the distinction."

"Yessir," Beki said, saluting; she was somehow not surprised when Lirin echoed the gesture.

* * *

Sometimes, Nikki had to wonder why some people were allowed to live past the age of ten. If someone had pushed Ni Jienyi off a cliff a long time ago, the world would be a better place for everyone.

Nikki wasn't normally violent, and she was not by nature vindictive. But Professor Ni was just about the worst man she'd ever had the displeasure of meeting, with the possible exception of- no, never mind, Professor Ni was the absolute worst on the planet, man or woman, human or youkai, period. There was no one quite like him, which was a good thing, since he was a perverted evil genius legally allowed to hang around the campus and leer at people.

"Look, Professor," She said, interrupting him and hoping he'd take the hint and leave her alone. "I'm sure you're an excellent tutor, and I'm positive you could help bring my grades up, but there are other people who need the help way more than I do, and I'd like to try and overcome this slump on my own before I look for outside help."

"Are you sure?" Ni pressed, the subtle seductive purr in his voice making her faintly nauseous. "I promise, I won't charge you."

"No, I seriously think I'll pass." She said. "I've gotta go, okay? I've got a lecture soon, and I don't want to miss it." She slipped around him and out of the lecture hall before he had a chance to object.

"Gosh, Nikki, I was about to come rescue you." Nikki's best friend Emily was waiting right outside, the determined set of her shoulders and the tilt of her baseball cap testifying that she really had been about to do that. "What was he on you about?"

"My grades again," Nikki told her as they set off down the hall. Nikki didn't really have a lecture, but she didn't plan on staying anywhere near Professor Ni. Hell, she just might go find a random lecture to sit in on in order to keep him away from her. "He pulled the whole 'private tutor' thing. I swear, he's such a perv."

"My gosh!" Emily's nickname was Gosh, after her favorite word in the entirety of the English language. "He's, like, so utterly gross! My skin crawls whenever I get near him. I don't know how you can stand taking his classes. My gosh,"

"Give him this, he's a frakkin' genius." Nikki said, guilt at her earlier homicidal thoughts compelling her to defend one of Ni's few good points. "If he'd just chase tail somewhere other than the student body, I'd have no problem with him at all; as it is, I can tolerate him."

"Gosh, Nikki, you're like a saint or something, you're so forgiving and stuff." Emily sighed. "He's a total scumbag, and you still find something nice to say about him."

"I have my moments." Nikki admitted modestly, nodding to herself. She could just imagine Beki's reaction that that observation; she'd probably kill herself laughing at mere thought of 'Saint Nikki'.

The campus at UTA was a bit crowded for daydreaming, however, and Nikki was jerked back to reality by the simple expedient of running into someone. She bounced off his back and they both stumbled a step or two, but neither one of them fell or dropped anything.

"Shit, I'm sorry!" She exclaimed apologetically. "You okay?"

The guy she'd run into glanced over his shoulder at her. His eyes were a mesmerizing shade of deep blue-violet, and his hair was a thick mop of golden blonde. What she could see of his face was damned pretty.

"Watch where the hell you're going."

Pretty face, rotten personality. His tone got Nikki's back up, and after her near-brush with Ni's perversion, she was in no mood to be charitable to some rude-ass stranger.

"I apologized, didn't I?" She demanded. "You don't have to be an asshole about it. It's not like I killed your fucking dog." That apparently caught him by surprise. "Why not yank that stick out of your ass, buddy?" Now he was starting to get angry. Short temper, that one. "Why must the pretty ones always be assholes? C'mon, Em, let's light out and leave this guy to yell at walls or something."

"Look, bitch-"

* * *

Beki was waiting at their table when Goku showed up. At least, it was their table insomuch as anyone can lay claim to a table after eating there only once. Someone else probably usually sat there, but being the star of the basketball team had its perks; no one with any sense was going to try and make Goku move.

Beki had packed more than she usually did, since she'd sort of figured Goku might track her down for food again, but Goku's lunch was still twice as big as hers, and it looked sort of like the kind of lunch one might put together at a buffet table in China.

"Damn, that's a lot of food." She commented, surveying their combined feast. "Do you usually bring this much?"

"Yup," Goku said, as if unaware that the amount of food before them could easily feed a round dozen people.

"And… someone named Hakkai makes all this for you?"

"Yup. Hey, didja bring that book you had yesterday? I wanna finish it."

"I think it's still in my bag somewhere…" Beki said, pulling her heavy book bag into her lap and rifling through it. "I'm sort of surprised you're so interested in it, to tell you the truth; criminal forensics doesn't strike me as your burning passion. Here it is!" She pulled it out and passed it across the table to him. "Be warned, though; if anything happens to that book, I'm afraid I'll have to murderize you."

Goku just smiled and nodded, slipping Corpse into his own bag. "Let's eat."

"Let's. What animal did this used to be?"

* * *

**End Chapter Two.**

_Eye of the Storm_ is a song by Cruxshadows. A friend and I have dubbed it the ultimate war song. Like all Cruxshadows songs, it's got a good, deep message. I chose it because the first few chapters are all going to be akin to the calm before the storm; it won't be long now before we see blood in the streets, so enjoy the peace while you can.

_There is no love untouched by hate_

_No unity without discord_

_There is no courage without fear_

_There is no peace without a war_

_There is no wisdom without regret_

_No admiration without scorn_

_There is strife within the tempest_

_And there is calm in the eye of the storm_


End file.
